Cinnamon Sugar Topped Banana Bread

This week is going to be a busy one for us! It seems like that's how life has been lately. So much to do and never enough time. Now that we're parents we savor every last minute of sleep in the morning. I know it sounds terrible, but mornings are sort of a blur. I hope we're not the only ones ;) Our breakfasts are often rushed or non-existent, so when I have an hour or two to spare on Sundays, I love to bake bread or muffins for the upcoming week. Something that makes a nice little snack for me while I take care of the baby or that Stephen can take with him on his drive to school in the morning. This banana bread was perfect for us. I used up some frozen ripe bananas that I had and was able to use a cinnamon sugar mixture from a few months back. The bread itself was moist, tender and had a lovely little swirl in it. The topping was heavenly. The sugar got all crunchy when it baked which created a nice contrast in texture. If you're a pecan lover like me, they'd be a great addition... and cinnamon chips would be too! I hope you'll give this recipe a try- I know you're going to love it!

Cinnamon Sugar Topped Banana Bread
Ingredients 
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ c + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 c. very ripe bananas
¼ c. buttermilk
¼ c. (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla

Topping & Swirl:
⅓ c. sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS: 
1. Move oven rack to position where pans will be in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter & flour (spray or line with parchment) the bottom of 1 loaf pan, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, beating until incorporated.
3. Mash bananas on a plate using a fork. With mixing speed on low, add bananas and vanilla, beat until smooth.
4. In a small mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. With mixing speed on low, alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk (this will help prevent the batter from clumping up). Mix until just combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over top. Pour the remaining batter over, then sprinkle the remaining mixture on top.
5. Place in oven and bake for approximately one hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top is golden brown in color (if the top is getting too dark, place a sheet of foil over the loaf and continue baking until the bread is fully baked). Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides of the loaf and remove from pan onto wire rack. Let cool completely (about 1 hour
) before serving or storing.
Life Made Simple Family Recipe | Makes one standard size loaf